Various different designs of ball-and-socket joints of the type described in the introduction have been known from the state of the art, and they are used, in particular, in vehicles and steering mechanisms of passenger cars and utility vehicles. A decisive criterion for the quality of the ball-and-socket joints used is their service life, which should be sufficiently long under difficult stress conditions. An essential requirement for ensuring a sufficient service life is the narrowest possible tolerances of the ball-and-socket joint components, and what is especially significant is the spherical joint area of the pivot pin, the bearing shell accommodating same, as well as the fixation of the bearing shell by the closing ring in the joint housing in relation to narrow dimensional tolerances. The closing rings used are often manufactured by a turning operation and are especially sensitive in respect to radial displacements in relation to the longitudinal axis of the pivot pin at the time of mounting. The mounting is usually performed by a rolling operation, as a result of which a one-sided contact of the bearing shell with the closing ring may develop, which leads to premature wear of the joint and as a consequence of this to an excessive clearance in the joint.